Vikings snap counts: Gerhart, backups play larger role with injuries

The morning after a 29-26 loss to the Ravens, we take a look at the Vikings’ snap distribution on offense and defense.

Offense: 66 snaps

Quarterback

QB Matt Cassel – 66 snaps (played 100% on offense)

QB Josh Freeman – DNP

Despite the snow and freezing rain, the Vikings threw more (38 attempts) than they ran the ball (25). Cassel started with Christian Ponder inactive (concussion) and went 17 of 38 for 265 yards and two touchdowns with an 86 quarterback rating.

Peterson left the game in the second quarter due to a sprained right foot. Gerhart took over as the lead running back and broke off a 41-yard touchdown right up the middle with 1:27 left. Gerhart did lose the ball once that resulted in the only touchdown in the first half. He knee appeared down before the ball was loose, but the officials upheld the original call after review.

Gerhart finished with 15 carries for 89 yards. Peterson had seven carries for 13 yards before the injury.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

WR Greg Jennings – 56 (85%)

WR Cordarrelle Patterson – 50 (76%)

WR Jerome Simpson – 40 (71%)

TE John Carlson – 39 (59%)

TE Rhett Ellison – 32 (48%)

WR Joe Webb – 10 (15%)

WR Jarius Wright – 7 (11%)

TE Chase Ford – 6 (9%)

Patterson reached 50 snaps in a game for the first time this season. He scored on a 79-yard screen pass on third down with 45 seconds left that was the longest play of the game.

Jennings led the unit with 10 targets, but he finished with five catches for 53 yards. Simpson caught his first touchdown pass during his two seasons with the Vikings for eight yards with 14:22 left in the game. He finished with four catches for 48 yards.

Tight end John Carlson was evaluated for a concussion after taking a big hit in the third quarter.

Offensive Line

G Charlie Johnson – 86 (100%)

C John Sullivan – 86 (100%)

T Matt Kalil – 86 (100%)

T Phil Loadholt – 64 (97%)

C Joe Berger – 61 (92%)

G Brandon Fusco – 5 (8%)

Fusco left the game due to a knee injury in the first quarter and played just five snaps. Berger filled in at right guard for the rest of the game and was called for a personal foul penalty on an 18-yard run by Patterson that had the Vikings at the 2-yard line. They settled for a field goal on the drive.

The unit didn’t give up a sack after allowing 11 in the last two games. Ravens linebacker Elvis Dumervil did not play due to an ankle injury.

The offensive line also had some nice blocks on Patterson’s 79-yard screen pass for a touchdown. The Vikings averaged 4.6 yards per carry and finished with 114 yards.

Allen and Robison each recorded a sack in the first half, bringing both of their season totals up to seven each (tied for team-high). The front line had five quarterback hits, including two from Floyd, who had a solid game in 34 snaps.

Ravens running back Ray Rice was bottled up as he’s been for most of the season. He had 17 carries for 67 yards. Surprisingly, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco had team’s longest run for 22 yards.

Linebacker

LB Audie Cole – 85 (100%)

LB Chad Greenway – 85 (100%)

LB Erin Henderson – 7 (5%)

LB Marvin Mitchell – 5 (6%)

Henderson was expected to play more as the outside linebacker, but the Vikings hardly used an outside linebacker. Henderson and Mitchell combined for 12 snaps as the defense remained in the nickel for most of the game.

Cole lead the team with 12 tackles, followed by Greenway’s 11 tackles. Greenway played well with an interception, a tackle for loss and a pass defended.

Greenway was called for pass interference on the final drive that led to the game-winning touchdown with four seconds left. Players and head coach Leslie Frazier complained about some of the calls in the game, including Greenway’s pass interference.

Secondary

SS Jamarca Sanford – 85 (100%)

CB Chris Cook – 84 (99%)

FS Andrew Sendejo – 80 (94%)

SS Robert Blanton – 74 (87%)

CB Xavier Rhodes – 60 (71%)

CB Marcus Sherels – 21 (25%)

Sendejo and Sherels each had an interception, matching the secondary’s total for the season (both previous interceptions by Harrison Smith). Sherels filled in for Rhodes, who left in the fourth quarter due to an ankle injury. Rhodes said after the game he “rolled” his ankle.

The secondary contained Flacco up until the final minutes of the fourth quarter when he recorded two of the Ravens’ three longest plays in the game. Their offense scored two touchdowns in the final 2:05 on drives of 64 and 80 yards.